This invention relates to the production of content for the media industry, and more specifically it relates to a system that seamlessly connects all aspects of the digital broadcast production process.
A fundamental change is occurring in the media and entertainment industry; content is being digitized. Music is now often purchased as a digital file from an on-line music store and the listened to with an MP3 player. Already some television shows and movies may similarly be purchased and downloaded. The post production of movies and television programming is also often handled electronically in digital format.
There are now a number of software systems used in the content production process. Each tool is used for a certain purpose and many of the tools are excellent performers. Unfortunately, these tools create “digital islands” in which manual processes are still required to move content from one island to another. These manual processes introduce unnecessary delays in the production process, which slows down the time it takes to bring content to market. Because so much of the process is still handled manually, it is difficult and time consuming to track the status of the various content assets being worked on.
Because the content is moved from one tool to another tool manually, the current production methodology does not offer enough protection against piracy. The current production methodology also lacks a way to readily introduce new or improved software products. As a result, new software products are haphazardly added to the process without a smooth integration with the other tools.
The present method for content production is deficient in several ways. There is a need for a content production system in which the various software tools are flexibly connected and the amount of manual work is minimized. There is a need to minimize delays that are caused when waiting for a person to perform a manual task. There is also a need to leverage the excess capacity of the content production system to minimize downtime and maximize revenue. There is a need to track the processing of the system for use by external business applications, such as invoicing or management systems.